Story+2008-06-23+Antwerp,+Belgium

“Good evening, Antwerpen (crowd cheers) it’s time to make the noise, boys and girls…in the next 150 minutes are you ready for transformation, revelation, sexification? is there anybody alive out there? (crowd cheers) is there anybody alive out there? (crowd cheers) is there anybody alive out there? (crowd cheers) is there anybody alive? (crowd cheers)…”
 * 23.06.08 Antwerp, Belgium, intro to “So Young and in Love”**

“Thank you…thank you…oh…good evening…(says in Flemish “it’s good to be here”) c’est bien de vous revoir ce soir…it’s good to see you, it’s good to be back…oh, let me see (?)…what are, what are our requests tonight?...ah, we have a request for pizza* (laughs from the crowd) that’s, we did that the other night, that we don’t, that we don’t know…oh, these are tough, oh, give me that one, alright…give me that one just in case…this man right here, yes, send it up, send it up, alright…”2.45,” ok, give me that one…oh, maybe this one, alright, maybe we can do this one…maybe we’ll get to that one...(crowd cheers) that’s a good one, that’s a good one, oh, give me that one…ok, oh, that’s a tough one (chuckles) I’ll take that one (chuckles)…this is, this is the smallest, this is the most modest of ones (chuckles) a very tiny request right there…right, “From small things, big things come,” you don’t have to worry… come, Soozie (someone yells “Soozie rocks!”) yes, she does…ok, this is, uh…here’s to the end…very soon of eight years of very bad magic in the United States (crowd cheers)…” [According to the Backstreets’ report, one request was written on *a cardboard pizza box and one on a very small piece of paper.]
 * 23.06.08 Antwerp, Belgium, intro to “Magic”**

“Alright, we’ll do a request…here we go (crowd cheers)(?)…oh yes…wanna thank you all for all the condolences (?) for, for Danny’s (crowd applauds) and, uh, we always do this one for him…here we go…everybody start, guitar, you ready? yeah?...the E Street Band is always ready (crowd cheers) most of the time – not all the time but most of the time (chuckles) here we go…”
 * 23.06.08 Antwerp, Belgium, intro to “Sandy”**

“Alright, we’re gonna try one we haven’t played in a long time… spotlight…spotlight up there, back there…find that sign (crowd cheers) down a little bit…down…(?) the sign, we’re trying to get the sign (laughs from the crowd) oh, we’re trying to get that sign…get that sign…oh, fuck it! (laughs from the crowd)…(finally spotlight finds it)…woo! alright, I didn’t think we were gonna make it…and then we couldn’t have played this song because we need signs for the request (chuckles)(strums his guitar) I’m out of tune (strums the guitar)…(?)…the first two albums we always played out of tune …it’s good for the soul…” [There was a large flag that read “Thundercrack” on the railing at the back of the stage.]
 * 23.06.08 Antwerp, Belgium, intro to “Thundercrack”**

“Woo, it’s hot in Antwerpen (crowd cheers) alright now…oh…this is a song called “Livin’ in the future”…but it’s about what’s happening now…how along with all the things that we…love and are proud about where we come from…we’ve had to add to the American picture over the past eight years things like rendition and illegal wiretapping and the rolling-back of fundamental civil liberties… these are all things that when I was a child, I was told only happened someplace else…never happened at home…so this is a song about living through and watching people sleep through changes…that you never thought you’d see when you were brought up…let me tell the story, Max…right here…”
 * 23.06.08 Antwerp, Belgium, intro to “Livin’ in the Future”**

“(?)…I’ll do this for (?)…I was in the square last night…and I met these two girls and they requested this next song but they said they were gonna have a big sign…what happened to the sign? (chuckles)…they said it was gonna be like a big sign with my name on it and all…and uh…and, you know, like professions of love on it and stuff like that…no sign…no, that’s not it…let me take a look…(?) …no…don’t say it…this is for Jasmin and Kristen…”
 * 23.06.08 Antwerp, Belgium, intro to “Fire”**

“Woo!...I don’t think it’s hot enough yet, man!...let’s get hotter, boys, come on, Max (Max starts drumming)…the first time on the “Magic”-tour…we’re gonna debut right here in Antwerpen…”
 * 23.06.08 Antwerp, Belgium, intro to “I’m a Rocker”**

“Is it too hot yet? (crowd: “No”) is it too hot? (crowd: “No”) is it too hot? (crowd: “No”) is it too hot? (crowd: “No”)…”
 * 23.06.08 Antwerp, Belgium, intro to “Glory Days”**

“This is for Chris…and Elkie…and their sons (?)…we thank you for coming to the show tonight (crowd cheers) you were a mighty strong audience (crowd cheers) very powerful (crowd cheers) the heat did not stop us (crowd cheers)… (…) Garry W. Tallent (crowd cheers) Little Steven (crowd cheers) Sister Soozie Tyrell (crowd cheers) the Mighty, Mighty Max Weinberg (crowd cheers) Professor Roy Bittan (crowd cheers) Charlie Giordano (crowd cheers) Nils Lofgren (crowd cheers) and the biggest man you’ve ever seen: Clarence “Big Man” Clemons (crowd cheers) Antwerpen! (crowd cheers) Antwerpen! (crowd cheers) Antwerpen! (crowd cheers) you’ve just seen the heart-stopping, pants-dropping, hard-rocking, earth-shocking, booty-shaking, love-making, Viagra-taking, history-making, legendary (crowd: “E Street Band”)(crowd cheers)...”
 * 23.06.08 Antwerp, Belgium, intro to “American Land”**

//Compiled by Johanna Pirttijärvi//